Purchases by some of the nation’s largest corporations, as well as governments and agencies, led to a record total of voluntary “green”Ě power purchases in 2008, according to a¬†ClimateBiz¬†report.

Intel and PepsiCo topped the list of buyers for¬†Green-e Energy Certified¬†renewable power, the Center for Resource Solutions announced late last month. A non-profit agency, the Center provides third-party certifications for the renewable power market.

The rankings were released a few days prior to California Senator Barbara Boxer predicting that Congress would draft legislation to put a¬†national emissions cap-and-trade system¬†in place prior to the December UN international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, which aim to produce a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.¬†

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“Green”Ě Power Purchases

Green-e certified more than 2.8 million megawatt-hours worth of renewable power in 2008, 69% of the voluntary renewable energy certification market. The market for renewable energy certificates produced as a result of “green”Ě power purchases and sales rose more than 55% in 2007, according to the Dept. of Energy’s¬†National Renewable Energy Lab.

Intel stood out among peers with a record-setting single 1.3 megawatt power purchase last January. Intel and PepsiCo also ranked first and second respectively on the EPA Green Power Partnership¬†National Top 50¬†and¬†Fortune 500¬†lists.

Overall, Intel’s certified “green”Ě power purchases are enough to supply nearly 50% of its US operations’ needs.